Door fixture for railway cars



'7 Sheets-Sheet l Event;r I Arh urE'. .Sn-zall I M M) Attorn/e A. E. SMALL DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed May 26, 1933 Feb. 13, 1934.

EL 6 A mri ii @6 3 I1 Feb. 13, 1934. A. E. SMALL DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed May 26, 1933 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Even tor Arthur ESmalI Feb. 13, 1934. A. E. SMALL DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed May 26, 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Bill!!! jnven tar Arthur Z Small A i-orne Feb. 13, 1934. SMALL 1,946,549

DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed May 26, 1933 '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 20 Arm ur E. Small A tiarn Feb. 13, 1934. A, E SMALL 1,946,549

DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed May 26, 1933 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Even 25 or flrh urE'. SmaJl Feb. 13, 1934. A. E. SMALL DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed May 26, 1933 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 1 I do Arh tiff/55m A H orn e9 NW RN Feb. 13, 1934. A. E. SMALL 1,946,549

DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed May 26, 1933 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 BUBILtOZ Arihur E. 3171811 Ell Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITE sTATes PATENT OFFICE DOOR FIXTURE FOR RAILWAY CARS Application May 26, 1933. Serial No. 673,013

3 Claims.

The invention relates to railway freight cars and more particularly to side doors for such cars.

Side doors of railway freight cars are generally arranged to slide horizontally to open or close the door opening and anti-friction rollers are provided between the door and the supporting element to reduce the effort required to move the door. The inertia of such a door caused by the sudden stopping or starting of the car bangs or slams it against the front or back stop causing damage to the car and the door and resulting in a leaky car. Even if the door is locked such inertia causes considerable strain upon the locking mechanism. An object of my invention is to transfer the weight of the door from the anti-friction rollers to rigid supports so that the tendency of the door to move longitudinally of the track will be resisted by the friction between such rigid part of the door and the supports, thereby retaining the door in a predetermined position. Itis desirable to retain the door in a closed position or in full'open position. However, my arrangement can be varied to retain the door in anyposition therebetween. The increased weight of the doors caused by the metallic reinforcements used thereon and the use of all steel doors has increased the necessity for such an arrangement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the inertia of the door, due to the movement of the car, is transferred from the locking or holding mechanism to supports rigidly attached to the car.

Another object of the invention is to provide a track having a smooth tread for engagement with the door supporting rollers by positioning the means for raising the door of? the rollers out of the path of engagement of such rollers with the tread.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show a typical railway car provided with my improved fixtures, with the door in different positions.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are enlargements showing the relative positions of the fixtures when the door is in different positions.

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 are cross sections of the door and car with the door in difierent'positions.

Fig. 10 shows a detail of one of the parts.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 show a modified construction.

In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive the railway car is provided with a track 2 below the door having a tread 3 with elevated portions 4 which are arranged to engage rollers 5 secured to the door and members 7 are secured to the door in a position to be out of the path of engagement of the rollers with the tread. Rigid supports 8 are fixed to the car or to the track which is fixed to the car by brackets 11. The rollers 5 on the door are located in close proximity to the elevated portions 4 of the tread 3 of the track 2 when the door is resting upon the supports 8 and the upper surface of the elevated portions e of the tread are a little higher than the engaging surfaces between the supports and the door so that upon a slight movement of the door the rollers engage and are slightly elevated by the elevated portions of the tread of the track and simultaneously the door is elevated out of contact with the supports thereby breaking their frictional engagement. The door thus freely moves upon the elevated portions of the tread of the track for the length of such elevated portions whereupon the. rollers ride down into engagement with the main portion 3 of the tread of the track, but in this position the door, or any part thereof, is not in range of the supports and cannot engage or interfere therewith.

When the rollers 5 are engaged with the main portion 3 of the tread of the track and the reverse movement takes place the rollers 5 ride up and upon the elevated portions 4 of the tread of the track and the door then freely moves therein for the length of such elevated portions of the tread of the track, whereupon the door drops into frictional engagement with the supports 8. However, the door does not drop sufilciently for the rollers on the door to engage the tread of the track.

When the door rollers are riding upon the tread of the track the door may be freely moved back and forth from open to closed position or vice versa with very little effort, but when the door is resting upon the supports 8 there is frictional contact between the door and the support 8 which resists the tendency of the door to move longitudinally of the car, due to the shocks caused by sudden stopping or starting of the car.

Fig. 1 shows the door in closed position with the door resting upon the rigid supports 8. Fig. 4 is an enlargement showing the relation of the door support 8 and elevated portion 4 of the tread. Fig. '7 is a section on line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 2 shows the door initially opened wherein the rollers 5 are upon the elevated portion 4 of the tread of the track and the door is out of frictional engagement with the supports 8. Fig. 5 is an enlargement showing the relation of the door, support 8 and elevated portion 4 of the tread. Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 3 shows the door rollers 5 riding upon the main portion 3 of the tread of the track, that is, in a position to be moved from open to closed position without much exertion. The door is out of engagement with the rigid supports 8. The door will roll freely upon the tread until the rollers 5 reach the elevated portions 12 and 13. (See Fig. 3.) In full open position the door will rest upon the supports 9 and 10. Fig. 6 is an enlargement showing the relation of the roller 5, tread 3 and elevated portion 4 of the tread. Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 6. Fig. 10 is a detail of an elevated part which may be welded or otherwise secured to the track and form an elevated portion. However, said elevated portions may be formed integral with the track if desired.

In Figs. '7, 8 and 9 the usual parts of the car are shown, such as side sill 20; floor 21; floor supports 22 and threshold plate 23.

If the door is very large and heavy some manual means of initially opening or closing the door may be necessary and for this purpose I have shown the lever 30 pivotally (31) attached to the door which engages one side of the pintle 32 to open the door and the other side thereof to close the door. A similar pintle 33 may be used to move the door from full open position. However, any power mechanism may be used as far as this invention is concerned. (See Fig. 1.)

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 show a modified construction wherein the track 40 is positioned above the door and the relation of the rollers 41, tread 42, elevated portion 43 of the tread, door 44, and rigid supports 45 are the same in this modification as hereinbefore described for the preferred form.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a railway car, a track having a tread arranged to engage rollers supporting a door, members secured to the door out of the path of engagement of the rollers with the tread, said tread provided with elevated portions positioned to be engaged by said rollers upon movement of the door to a predetermined position so as to raise the door, and supports positioned so that upon further movement of the door the members engage said supports so as to support the door independently of the rollers whereby movement of the door is frictionally resisted.

2. In a railway car, a track having a tread arranged to engage rollers supporting a door, members secured to the door out of the path of engagement of the rollers with the tread, said tread provided with elevated portions positioned to be engaged by said rollers upon movement of the door to a predetermined position so as to raise the door, and supports positioned so that upon further movement of the door the members drop into engagement with the supports so as to support the door independently of the rollers whereby movement of the door is frictionally resisted.

3. In a railway car, a track having a tread arranged to engage rollers supporting a door, members secured to the door out of the path of engagement of the rollers with the tread, said tread provided with elevated portions positioned to be engaged by said rollers upon movement of the door to a predetermined position so as to raise the door, and supports positioned so that upon further movement of the door the members engage said supports so as to support the door independently of the rollers whereby movement of the door is frictionally resisted, said elements so arranged that when the members are in supporting engagement with the supports the rollers are in close proximity to the elevated portions of the tread so that with very little movement of the door the members are raised by said elevated portions out of engagement with the supports.

ARTHUR E. SMALL. 

